But Sandra proved in no time that she was no mere stand-in; she was quickly developing into a shrewd, tireless and valuable asset to In Play. Todd and I welcomed the birth of first child, Dorie Ella, in 2000. During the next few years, In Play developed successful kids’ lines for Lucky Brand, Juicy Couture, Da Nang, James Perse as well as popular accessory lines, such as Diaper Dude. It was around this time that things got really busy. Todd’s career got a huge boost when WONDERLAND, his first produced screenplay, was theatrically released in 2003. In 2004, we welcomed the birth of our second child, Abby Brenna. It now seemed like the right time to turn the reins of the business over to someone else.

But it couldn’t just be anyone else. Of course, Sandra was the perfect choice and she left American Apparel to become the new owner of In Play. Since In Play was my first baby, so to speak, I agreed to be available to Sandra any time she wanted a sounding board for all the new and exciting things she planned to do to take In Play to the next level. But since Todd and I welcomed our third child, Eric Simon, in 2005, all Sandra hears when she calls me are kids screaming!

With three children, I am more involved with buying children’s clothes then selling them but I look forward to starting a new business venture in the future. They say that when things are meant to be they are, and that everything happens for a reason. I agree.


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